Slitter for printing presses



July 20, 1954 J. R. WOOD SLITTER FOR PRINTING PRESSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 8, 1951 INVENTOR. JvMe-s 9. W000 I! I WM,

. ,4;- mveys J. R. WOOD 2,684,117

SLITTER FOR PRINTING PRESSES July 20, 1954 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Sept.8, 1951 9 3 a 5 404/ J 0 3? L Ill 22a aam'fi 5;: I flu H' -H I T 3.9 IP1 I INVENTOR.

Arra 6' Patented July 20,1954

UNITED STATE$ PTENT OFFICE SLITTER FOR PRINTING PRESSES James R. Wood,Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Harris-Seybold Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Delaware Application September 8, 1951, Serial No.245,698

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in slitters for printing presses,that is to say devices for slitting a sheet or a web into two or moreparts as it travels through a printing press. In order to protect thesurface of the cylinder with which the slitting wheel cooperates it isdesirable to place a narrow band of thin metal around the cylinderagainst which the cutting wheel may bear. In the use of the device therotating cutter gradually a groove in the band, and in order to make aclean cut in the paper sheet or Web despite the slight clearance thusformed the cutter must be advanced slightly toward the band from time totime. If however this adjustment should be carried to the extent thatthe slitting Wheel should cut entirely through the band it would injurethe surface of the cylinder. The present invention is directed to theprovision of an adjusting means which may be set at the time the band isplaced in position so as to permit the necessary series of adjustmentsand to prevent adjustment being carried too far;

One of the objects of the invention therefore is the provision of animproved adjusting means for advancing a slitter a small increment at. atime, having provision for preventing further movement after thepredetermined extent of adjustment has been attained.

Another object is the provision of means for readily settin theadjusting means and adjustment limiting means when a new band is mountedon the cylinder.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with thedescription of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposesof the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a general side view, partly in section, ofthe slitter, its mounting and its adjusting means.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan View of a band mounting means which may beemployed in connection with the invention, the view lookingsubstantially in the direction of arrow 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view partly in section on the line t i of Fig.1.

Fig. 5 is a detail view partly in section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2,showing the adjusting means on a larger scale, and

Fig. 6 is an end view of the adjusting means, showing the gauge wheelfor limiting the adjusting movement.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing a printing press cylinder, such as animpression cylinder, is'indicated at it. A thin band I i of steel orother metal surrounds the cylinder. In a gap 12 of the cylinder there ismounted by means of studs M a casting l5 having an inclined projection53 to which one end of the band H is secured by means of a clampingplate it and machine screws ll. The other end of the band is fastened bymeans of a clamping plate 58 and machine screws it to a slide 23. A bandtightening element 25 with reversely threaded ends and a hexagonalcenter has its ends threaded into the projection 55 and the slide 29, sothat as the element is turned in the proper direction by the applicationof a wrench to the hexagonal portion thereof the band it is caused togrip the cylinder it firmly. A setscrew 22 threaded laterally into theslide it may be screwed down against the element 2i for lockingit inadjusted position. The casting may be provided with a horn 23 forguiding the band into the gap without sharp turns.

M is a transverse brace rod mounted in the frame of the printing press.A keyway 25 is machined therein. A key 25 is mounted in the Ireyway andheld against movement by a screw 2? breaded into the brace rod. Abracket 23 shaped to closely embrace a portion of the rod is mounted onthe rod, is held from rotational movement thereon by the key 26 whichfits into a transverse slot 29 formed in the bracket, and is held frommovement longitudinally of the rod by a setscrew 3i]. The bracket isthus rigidly supported.

The forward end of bracket 28 is bifurcated to receive an upwardlyextending arm 3!, these two parts being connected by a pivot 32. At itsupper end arm 3? is bifurcated to receive an annular slitter 33 which ismounted by means of a ball bearing on a pivot 34 secured in thebifurcations of the arm, the parts bein so disposed that the slitter ispositioned opposite the center line of band ii.

011 the upper arm 33 there is a bifurcated rearward extension whichreceives and is pivotally connected to a small block 36, the pivot beingshown at 37. This block is bored to receive the reduced forward end ofan adjusting rod a pin 3Q being driven through registering holes in theblock and rod to connect the parts together. Rod 38 extends looselythrough a hole in an upwardly extending projection 43 on bracket 58. Infront of this projection a washer ii surrounding the rod bears againstthe projection and forms an abutment for a coil sprin 42 which alsosurrounds the rod and bears at its front end against a loose collar 33backed by a nut M on the threaded forward portion of the rod, which nutmay be 3 threaded down to the desired extent to compress the spring andwhich may be held in adjusted position by a lock nut 25.

An adjusting nut st of relatively large diameter is threaded upon thethreaded rear end of the rod 38 and has a central boss which bearsagainst the rear face of projection 40. As it is turned clockwise asviewed in the drawings it draws the rod rcarwardly against the force ofspring 52 and holds the slitter 33 retracted. When turned a smallincrement counterclockwise it permits the spring 32 to advance the rodaccordingly. The periphery of the nut as is toothed as indicated at i,and these teeth are engaged by a wedge shaped detent 52 which isyieldably forced upward by a spring 53 in the pocket of the bracket inwhich the detent is slidably mounted. The movement of the nutcounterclockwise by the operator a distance of one tooth permits the rodto advance a small increment only, as is necessary at intervals becauseof the grooving of the band i l by the action of the slitter.

Since the band is quite thin it is desirable that the forward adjustmentof the slitter be limited to avoid cutting completely through the bandand into the cylinder. For this purpose I provide means for limiting thenumber of teeth or" the nut which may be advanced rotatably intoengagement with the detent 52. This means will now be described. The nut5i is provided with an integral reaiwardly extending hub 55. Looselymounted on this hub there is a gauge wheel 55 which has a considerablesurface area adapted to engage the rear surface of nut 50, and thesesurfaces are adapted to be brought into and held in good frictionalcontact by means of a collar 5? that is threaded onto the extremity ofhub 55. When the collar 51 is tightened on the hub, parts and 5e movewith the nut as it is turned for adjusting the rod 58. To limit thisturning movement gauge wheel 58 may be provided with a cutout 53 in itsperiphery, the ends of which constitute stops for engagement with thehead of a stud screwed into a threaded hole in bracket 28. Theperipheries of gauge wheel 56 and collar 5? are preferably knurled foreasy operation.

When a new bansL ii is to be installed, collar 5'! is loosene and nut 56is turned clockwise to retract the arm 3 l. The band is then put inposition and tightened. The nut 56 may now be turned coiuiterclockwiseto advance the slitter until it touches the in other words until it ispositioned to properly sever a sheet of paper. Then the gauge wheel 56is turned on the hub 55 until the cutout 58 stands in the position of 6,after which the collar 5! is turned down to hold the gauge wheel attightly against the nut 5% The device is then ready for operation. Aftera given amount of use the slitter begins to form a groove in the and thecut formed in the paper becomes somewhat ragged, When the operator notesthis effect he turns counterclockwise the nut to which the gauge wheelis clamped to advance the nut one tooth. This is repeated from time totime as necessary to maintain a cle n out until the left end of thecutout 53 as viewed in 6 engages the head of stud 59, which preventsfurther adjustment of the slitter and advises the operator of the factthat the installation or" a new band is necessary.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Paper slitting means for use in connection with a cylinder of aprinting press, comprising a band removably fixed on said cylinder, atfixed rigid bracket, a slitter to slit paper passed between said bandand said slitter, means for adjustably positioning said slitter towardor away from said cylinder comprising a rod slidably supported by saidbracket, a nut threadably mounted on the rod on the side of said bracketremote from said cylinder, means for biasing said rod towards saidcylinder, a gauge wheel concentric with said nut and attached thereto,means for limiting the amount of rotation of said gauge wheel to anangle such that the rod may be advanced a distance less than thethickness of said band, said gauge wheel being angularly adjustable withrespect to said nut, and means for locking said nut and wheel togetherin a selected angular relation.

2. A slitting means as defined in claim 1, wherein said means forlimiting the amount of rotation of said gauge wheel comprises a cutoutin its periphery, and a stud mounted in said bracket extending into saidcutout limiting the movement of said gauge wheel through a dis tancedependent upon the spacing of the ends of said cutout.

3. A slitting means as defined in claim 1, wherein the means removablyattaching said gauge wheel to said nut comprises an extended hub of thenut upon which said gauge wheel is loosely mounted, said hub beingexteriorly threaded, and a collar threaded on said hub for securing saidgauge wheel to the nut in a selected angular relation.

4. Paper slitting means for use in connection with a cylinder of aprinting press, comprising a band removably fixed on said cylinder, 3,fixed rigid bracket, an arm pivoted thereto, a slitter mounted in saidarm to slit paper passed between said band and said slitter, a threadedrod pivoted to said arm and extending loosely through a hole in saidbracket, spring means interposed between said bracket .and said armtending to advance said slitter toward said cylinder, an adjusting nutthreaded on said rod and bearing on the side of said bracket remote fromsaid cylinder, a gauge wheel concentric with and attached to said nut,cooperating stop means carried by said bracket and gauge wheel forlimiting the amount of rotation of said wheel and nut to a given angleof predetermined size, which angle limits movement of said slitter to anamount less than the thickness of said band, and means for accomplishinga relative adjustment of said stop means around the axis of said rod tovary the position of the angle through which adjustment of the wheel andnut is possible.

5. Paper slitting means for use in connection with a cylinder of aprinting press, comprising a band removably fixed on said cylinder, afixed rigid bracket, an arm pivoted thereto, a slitter mounted in saidarm to slit paper passed between said band and said slitter, a threadedrod pivoted to said arm and extending loosely through a hole in saidbracket, spring means interposed between said bracket and said armtending to advance said slitter toward said cylinder, an adjusting nutthreaded on said rod and bearing on the side of said bracket remote fromsaid cylinder, said nut having a rearwardly extending hub, a gauge wheelloosely mounted on said hub, the extremity of the hub being exterior-1ythreaded, a clamping collar threaded on said hub for clamping the gaugewheel against the adjusting nut, spaced stops on said wheel and aprojection on said bracket adapted for engagement with said stops tolimit the extent of movement of the wheel to an angle such that saidspring may advance said rod. a distance less than the thickness of saidband.

6. Paper slitting means as defined in claim 5, wherein the periphery ofsaid nut is provided with teeth, and a spring detent for engagement withsaid teeth to hold the nut in selected angular positions as the rod isadjusted forward step by step by said nut and said spring means.

7. Paper slitting means as defined in claim 6, wherein said gauge wheelis provided with a cutout in its periphery, the ends of which constitutesaid spaced stops adapted to engage said projection on the bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date Holm a- July 5, 1887 Hoff Sept. 7, 1920 De Pamphilis Oct. 1,1929 Lefkowitz Nov. 12, 1940 Webster Sept. 17, 1946

